1. Field of the Technology
The technology presented herein relates to a video game device and a video game program, and more particularly to a video game device and a video game program of a novel action game in which the moving direction or the path of a player character is controlled by the player based on how an operation trace image (or a “rainbow line”) is drawn by the player using position inputting means such as a pointing device or a touch panel, for example.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a typical conventional action game, the player controls a direction switch (a 4-way or 8-way direction switch so called a “cross-shaped switch”) or an analog joystick to move a player character that can be controlled by the player (the moving character) along a path or paths drawn on the background image, aiming at eventually bringing the player character to a designated destination. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-285259 (hereinafter referred to as “Patent Document 1”) discloses a video game controller as shown in FIG. 8 of the publication for video games using a touch panel.
In a video game using a direction switch, the player needs to determine the direction in which the player character is to be moved while instantaneously acknowledging the surrounding circumstances (e.g., approaching enemy characters, areas into which the player character cannot be moved, etc.) and quickly control the direction switch accordingly. Such a conventional video game requires the player to have a significant amount of experience and skill, and there is quite a large difference between beginners and skilled players in how far in the game (in terms of the number of stages, for example) they can advance.
In the video game of Patent Document 1, the player touches on a character (a tank) to be moved, in response to which the range across which the character can be moved is displayed. The player then specifies the destination of the character to be moved, in response to which the character moves toward the specified destination. In the video game of Patent Document 1, what the player does is merely to specify a character to be moved and a destination thereof. Therefore, player's operations and the resulting changes in the displayed image are monotonous and not appealing, and the player can easily get bored of the game. With conventional video games, it is difficult for a player to intuitively control a character just by looking at the game screen without being familiar with the rule, and many of them impose complicated control operations and gameplay.